A Favorite Hymn: Lord of All Hopefulness

On Sunday, we sang one of my favorite hymns. It is sung to the tune “Slane,” an old Irish melody that also accompanies the hymn “Be Thou My Vision.” It describes an “ordinary day” of trusting Jesus and asking him to be with us through the course of that day.

“Lord of All Hopefulness” was penned by Joyce Torrens (1901-53), who wrote under the name of Jan Struther. Struther became famous for a newspaper column in which she presented herself as “Mrs Miniver.” A film based on the character won the Oscar for Best Picture in 1942, and its portrayal of our British friends helped woo American public opinion to support entry into World War II.

Jan Struther wrote this hymn for her neighbor, Canon Percy Dearmer of Westminster Abbey, to be included in his new edition of the hymnal Songs of Praise. It is a good example of an “all day” hymn that traces God’s involvement in our lives throughout the course of a day, from waking to sleeping.

• • •

Lord of all hopefulness, Lord of all joy,
Whose trust, ever childlike, no cares could destroy,
Be there at our waking, and give us, we pray,
Your bliss in our hearts, Lord,
At the break of the day.

Lord of all eagerness, Lord of all faith,
Whose strong hands were skilled at the plane and the lathe,
Be there at our labours and give us, we pray,
Your strength in our hearts, Lord,
At the noon of the day.

Lord of all kindliness, Lord of all grace,
Your hands swift to welcome, Your arms to embrace.
Be there at our homing, and give us, we pray,
Your love in our hearts, Lord,
At the eve of the day.

Lord of all gentleness, Lord of all calm,
Whose voice is contentment, whose presence is balm,
Be there at our sleeping, and give us, we pray,
Your peace in our hearts, Lord,
At the end of the day.

What a nice nugget of information that the author of Mrs. Miniver also wrote a few hymns and very good ones it seems. Mrs. Miniver was a blockbuster in 1942 and won a lot of Academy Awards. it was of course used to promote the war effort and shows how society has evolved. The ending of the movie the people are actually in church, praying and worshipping, it shows England as it was at that time period.
Nice to hear and read the lyrics of a nicely written hymn, well done production , thanks for sharing this.